CSS News & Events
2008 Archive
December, 2008
CAHNRS Faculty Inducted into Washington State Academy of Sciences
R. James Cook and Diter von Wettstein, two of the four WSU professors inducted into the founding class of the Washington State Academy of Sciences, have roots in the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences. (On Solid Ground, 12/3/08) Read more.
WSU Alumnus Lauded in Nature
PULLMAN, Wash. -- Jerry Glover, who earned three degrees at Washington State University from 1997 to 2001, is described as one of the “five crop researchers who could change the world,” in a news feature by Emma Marris in the current issue of Nature, the international weekly science journal. (CAHNRS News Release, 12/4/08). Read more.
November, 2008
Cook to Receive Outstanding Service Award from WSU Foundation
Professor Emeritus James Cook will receive the WSU Foundation’s Outstanding Service Award on Nov. 8 at the President’s Association pre-game event in the CUB. Cook is one of the University's most honored research scientists. Scientists and farmers all over the world recognize his work in plant pathology and biotechnology as fundamental in terms of both research and profitability. During a career spanning 40 years on the WSU campus, Cook, a plant pathologist, headed the USDA Agricultural Research Service Root Disease Laboratory, was the first R.J. Cook Endowed Chair in Wheat Research, and in 2003, was asked to serve as interim dean of the college. In 1988, WSU created the R.J. Cook Endowed Chair in Cropping Systems Pathology with funding from the Washington Wheat Commission. This chair was created to strengthen research and graduate education in the plant, soil, and microbiological sciences at WSU. Cook held the Chair from its establishment in 1988 until he retired in 2005.
Cogger Awarded Grant to Design Production Strategies for Organic Farms
PUYALLUP, Wash. - A 16-member organic farming systems team led by Craig Cogger, a soil nutrient management specialist at Washington State University’s Puyallup Research and Extension Center, has landed a $644,232 grant from the USDA-CSREES Integrated Organic Program to design production strategies for stewardship and profit on fresh market organic farms. (CAHNRS News Release, 11/17/08). Read more. See also, On Solid Ground.
Columbia Plateau PM10 Project Update Dec. 4
PULLMAN, Wash. – Progress on research to reduce wind erosion and improve air quality in the inland Pacific Northwest will be reported at Columbia Plateau PM10 Project annual meeting on Dec. 4 at Washington State University. (CAHNRS News Release, 11/10/08). Read more.
WSU Expands Course Offerings in Nation's First Online Certificate in Organic Ag
PULLMAN, Wash. - Washington State University, the first institution in the country to offer an academic major in organic agriculture and the first to offer an online certificate in organic ag, has now expanded its online course offerings in the organic agriculture certificate program. Three new courses that lead to the Certificate in Organic Agriculture will be offered this spring semester. (CAHNRS News Release, 11/3/08). Read more.
October, 2008
Hammac and Kok receive Society honors
Ashley Hammac, Soil Science Ph.D. candidate, received third place honors by the Soil Science Society of America for his poster titled "Characterization of Crop Root Hairs using High Resolution Imaging."
The WSU Extension video titled "The Undercutter Method for Winter Wheat" was also honored with an "Award of Excellence" by the American Society of Agronomy. The video was produced by Extension Conservation Tillage Specialist Hans Kok, in cooperation with Darrell Kilgore, WSU Extension Video/Satellite Communication Specialist (CSS Spotlight, 10/30/08). Read more.
S Is for "Sustainable Agriculture"
PULLMAN, Wash. - Where in the World Book do you find Washington State University? First under "W" for "wheat," and soon under "S" for "sustainability" (CAHNRS News Release, 10/22/08). Read more.
WSU BIOAg Symposium Features State of the State's Organic Agriculture Sector
PULLMAN, Wash. - The State of Organic Agriculture in Washington will be the topic of the keynote presentation at the Washington State University symposium on its biologically intensive and organic agriculture program, or BIOAg (CAHNRS News Release 10/20/08). Read more.
Paulitz & Kisha honored with "Pumping-Up..."
Plant pathologist Timothy Paulitz and plant geneticist Ted Kisha, both ARS scientists and WSU adjunct faculty members, are recipients of the 2008 Administrator’s Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity (ODEO) Award for their outstanding leadership and participation in outreach activities to Native American and Hispanic students in connection with the statewide collaborative program “Pumping-Up the Math and Science Pipeline: Grade School to College” (CSS Spotlight, 10/3/08). Read more.
Koenig Named Chair of WSU Crop and Soil Sciences
Richard T. Koenig, associate soil scientist and extension soil fertility specialist, has been named chair of Washington State University’s crop and soil sciences department. (CAHNRS News Release, 10/2/08). Read more.
September, 2008
Harvest Party at WSU Organic Farm
PULLMAN, Wash. -- Celebrate the fall at Washington State University's Organic Farm annual Harvest Party from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11 (CAHNRS News Release, 9/29/08). Read more.
Agricultural extension
Seminar on women's session in Jordan
A seminar about the women’s session portion of the Iraqi Agricultural Extension Revitalization Project was put on by faculty from the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences and the Department of Food Science on Monday. (WSU Today, 9/10/08) Read more.
Soil scientist witnesses dramatic changes in ag
Work of Washington scientist improves soil, water quality
PROSSER, Wash. - The only thing constant in agriculture is change according to Robert Stevens, the interim director for the Irrigated Agriculture Research Center for Washington State University located in Prosser, Wash. (Capital Press, 9/5/08) Read more.
Idaho Crop Specialist Named WSU Extension Agronomist
PULLMAN, Wash. – Stephen Guy, an extension crop management specialist in the Department of Plant, Soil and Entomological Sciences with the University of Idaho, will become Washington State University Extension agronomist in WSU’s Department of Crop and Soil Sciences on Oct. 1. (CAHNRS News Release, 9/8/08) Read more.
August, 2008
Wheat Breeder, Professor Stephen Jones Named Director of WSU Research and Extension Center at Mount Vernon
PULLMAN, Wash. – Stephen S. Jones, whose wheat breeding program at Washington State University has been recognized nationally and internationally, is the new director of WSU’s Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center at Mount Vernon. (CAHNRS News Release, 8/28/08) Read more.
Campbell awarded by women in agricultural sciences
Kim Campbell, a USDA-ARS wheat breeder and affiliate faculty within the department of Crop & Soil Sciences was selected as a recipient of the American Society of Agronomy/Crop Science Society of America/Soil Science Society of Amercica Committee on Women in Agronomoy, Crops, Soils, and Environmental Sciences 2008 Mentoring Award in recognition of her excellent service as a mentor, teacher and role model of women in the agricultural sciences. (WSU Today, 8/28/08) Read more.
Stahnke Named Researcher of the Year
WSU Extension agronomist Gwen Stahnke won the Seed Research of Oregon 2008 Researcher of the Year Award. The award acknowledges Stahnke’s contributions to the turfgrass industry in the Pacific Northwest and nationally. (CAHNRS On Solid Ground, 8/13/08) Read more.
WSU Wheat Breeder Will Partner in $9 Million EU Grant
PULLMAN, Wash. - Stephen Jones, a Washington State University wheat breeder, will partner in a multi-nation, $9-million grant from the European Commission Research Directorate-General on a research project designed to improve the production efficiency of food, feed and biofuel crops. (CAHNRS News Release, 8/12/08) Read more.
Administrative Appointments
Richard T. Koenig, associate soil scientist and extension soil fertility specialist, has been named chair of Washington State University’s crop and soil sciences department. His appointment becomes effective November 1. Koenig replaces William Pan, who will return to teaching and research in the department. The department and college are deeply indebted to Bill Pan for his eight years of service as chair of the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. Koenig, a member of the WSU faculty since 2003, holds a bachelor’s of science degree in natural resource management and master’s of science degree in soil science from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. He earned a doctorate in soil fertility and plant nutrition at WSU in 1993.
Bob Stevens will be continuing in his role as Interim Director of the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Prosser through March 2009. Bob had agreed to delay his scheduled September 1 retirement to provide additional time to find a replacement director. (CAHNRS Admin News, 8/8/08)
July, 2008
Pierce Honored at Precision Ag Conference
PULMAN, Wash – Fran Pierce, director of Washington State University’s Center for Precision Agricultural Systems and a professor in the crop and soil sciences and biological systems engineering departments, received the first Pierre C. Robert Precision Agriculture Senior Scientist Award at the ninth International Conference on Precision Agriculture in Denver this week. (CAHNRS News, 7/29/08) Read more
WSU Receives Grant for Hanford Cleanup Research
PULLMAN, Wash. -- Markus Flury, Washington State University professor of soil physics, and Jim Harsh, WSU professor of soil chemistry, and colleagues from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, and the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, have received a three-year $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to continue research on the fate of radioactive waste that has leaked from underground tanks into the soil. (CAHNRS News, 7/22/08) Read more.
WSU Wheat Varieties Dominate Washington Crop for 2008
PULLMAN, Wash. - Spring and winter wheat varieties developed by Washington State University scientists continue to dominate Washington's growing wheat acreage, according to 2008 statistics recently released by the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (CAHNRS News, 7/17/08) Read more.
Straw Residue Too Valuable to Harvest for Biofuels Production
PULLMAN, Wash. – Palouse wheat growers should think twice before harvesting crop residue for cellulosic ethanol production, says Ann Kennedy, a USDA-Agricultural Research Service soil scientist. (CAHNRS News, 7/9/08) Read more and list to Scientific American's '60-Second Science' podcast.
WSU Organic Farm to Host Field Day July 24
PULLMAN, Wash. -- The public is invited to learn more about organic farming at the WSU Organic Farm Field Day to be held Thursday (July 24) at the Tukey Horticultural Orchard at the corner of Airport and Terre View roads. (WSU News Service, 7/17/08) Read more.
T.U.R.F. grad prepares for Jamie Farr tournament
Turf alum Daniel Salois (B.S. Crop Science, '03) is featured in this Toledo Free Press article. Salois, recently promoted to superintendent at Highland Meadows Golf Club, is preparing for the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic to be held July 7-13. Find out more about the tournament here.
Getting a Remote Idea on How Well Soil-Saving Technology Is Working
In the six counties of central and eastern Washington where wheat growers can count on only 8 to 12 inches of precipitation annually, they fallow fields for a year between crops to accumulate enough moisture to grow the next crop. There’s another thing growers are trying to save: their soil. (CAHNRS News Release, 7/1/08) Read more.
Washington Organic Acreage, Production See Significant Increases in 2007
Certified organic acreage farmed in Washington state continues to expand, increasing by an estimated 27 percent between 2006 and 2007. Since 2004 the amount of certified acreage being farmed in the state has increased by 86 percent. Those growth estimates are documented in the annual profile of the state's organic acreage and crops compiled by the Washington State University Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources. (CAHNRS News Release, 6/30/08) Read more.
Related, read the article in the Seattle-PI (7/1/08).
WSU land/water conservation unit on USDA chopping block
Several units of the USDA Agriculture Research Service may be shut down as the agency tries to fit into a tightened budget for the entire agency. (Capital Press, 7/1/08) Read more.
June, 2008
Fore! WSU Turf Students Score in Scotland
Five WSU turfgrass management students traveled with their advisor, Bill Johnston, to the UK early this summer. Along with students and faculty from North Carolina State University, the students visited golf courses, cricket pitches, and football (or soccer) and rugby fields. (CAHNRS spotlight, 6/08) Read more.
Endowment to benefit wheat research
A contingent of more than 100 producers, industry leaders and guests honored Edward Heinemann at the 92nd Annual Lind Field Day on June 19 at the Washington State University Dryland Research Station outside of Lind. (Ritzville Journal, 6/26/08) Read more.
--Read the Washington State Magazine spotlight on Edward Heinemann.
Scientific American: Adoption of No-till Farming Practices
Regents Professor of soil science John Reganold and USDA-ARS soil scientist David Huggins have co-authored an article appearing in the June 2008 issue of Scientific American on the adoption of no-till farming practices. A preview is available. (CAHNRS News Release, 6/24/08) Read more.
Conservation Station Field Day, June 26
“Bioenergy Cropping Systems Research” will be the theme of the USDA-Agricultural Research Service Palouse Conservation Field Station field day set for Thursday, June 26 (CAHNRS News Release, 6/23/08). Read more.
Biotechnology: Food for thought
A career in biotechnology is exciting, but the subject can be controversial. In this New Scientist article, WSU crop biotechnologist Michael Neff believes communication is the key. (New Scientist, 6/14/08) Read more.
WSU Dryland Organic Cropping Systems Field Day, June 18
Organic crop management research on the Palouse will be featured at the Dryland Organic Cropping Systems Field Day from 8:30 a.m. to noon June 18 at the Boyd farm research site near Pullman. (CAHNRS News Release, 6/4/08) Read more.
Bioenergy Research to be Featured at WSU Small Grains Field Days
Bioenergy research and development will be featured this June at Washington State University’s three major small grains and cropping research field days. (CAHNRS News Release, 6/3/08) Read more.
Reducing fuel use: Grad demonstrates diversified farming
Eric Zakarison, a '81 agronomy graduate, has discovered the benefits of “solar tractors." The Zakarison Partnership, a participant in a recent series of educational farm walks, is a diversified crop and livestock farm situated on 600 acres north of Pullman. Wheat, barley, oats, hay, locker lambs and pastured poultry are produced on the family-run farm. Read more about the farm walk here (CAHNRS News Release, 5/1/9/08), and a followup stories are posted here (CSANR, and here (WSU Today, 6/3/08).
Student awarded international peace scholarship
Glafera Janet Matanguihan, a Crop Science Ph.D. candidate from the Philippines, has been awarded an International Peace Scholarship for the 2008-09 academic year in the amount of $8,000 from the P.E.O. Sisterhood.
The P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship Fund was established in 1949 to further the belief that education is fundamental to world peace and understanding and is designed to assist women from other countries in obtaining advanced degrees from universities in the United States and Canada. The P.E.O. Sisterhood is a philanthropic, educational organization where women celebrate the advancement of women, educate women, and motivate women to achieve their highest aspirations.
Matanguihan is studying the genetics of smut resistance in wheat in low-input systems under the direction of WSU wheat breeder Stephen Jones.
Ten years ago, Matanguihan earned her M.S. in Plant Pathology (’97) from WSU. She then taught for nine years at the College of Agriculture, University of the Philippines Los Baños, before returning to WSU in 2007 to pursue her Ph.D. Following graduation, she plans to return to the Philippines and continue her teaching and research.
May, 2008
WSU to Host 78th State FFA Convention May 14-17
More than 2,500 FFA members, teachers and parents from around Washington State are expected to attend the 78th Washington State FFA Convention, Wednesday, May 14, through Saturday, May 17, 2008. (CAHNRS News Release, 5/13/08) Read more.
April, 2008
CAHNRS Employees Honored
A big “Congratulations!” to the employees who were honored at the 49th annual CAHNRS awards banquet, held Saturday, April 12th. Included were William Johnston, professor of crop science, recipient of the R.M. Wade Foundation for Excellence in Teaching and Learning; and Meg Gollnick, research technician and program manager of the Winter Wheat Breeding, Cytology and Genetics Program, recipient of the Classified Technical Staff Excellence award. (CAHNRS News Release, 4/14/08 ) Read more.
Jones named 2008 Mentor of the Year
Winter wheat breeder and crop science professor Stephen Jones received the 2008 Mentor of the Year – Research Faculty Award, in conjunction with the 13th Annual Women’s Leadership Conference at Washington State University. (CSS Spotlight, 4/3/08) Read more.
Weed science students win awards
Congratulations to two weed science graduate students in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences who won awards for outstanding presentations at the Western Society of Weed Science’s annual meeting in March 2008 at Anaheim, Calif. Dilpreet Riar (Ph.D. candidate) won second place for his presentation "Absorption and Translocation of 2,4-D in Resistant Prickly Lettuce". Randy Stevens (M.S. candidate) won second place for his poster "Organic Transitions Cropping Systems for Weed Management in Eastern Washington.”
Pierce President-elect of American Society of Agronomy
Fran Pierce, director of Washington State University’s Center for Precision Agricultural Systems and a professor in the crop and soil sciences department, has been elected 2009 president-elect of the American Society of Agronomy. He will take office as association president in 2010. (CAHNRS News Release, 4/23/08) Read more.
Von Wettstein Receives NIH Award to Develop Wheat Free of Harmful Gluten Proteins
Washington State University researcher Diter von Wettstein has been awarded a four-year, $837,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to further his work on developing wheat varieties safe to eat for people who have Celiac disease. (CAHNRS News Release, 4/23/08) Read more.
March, 2008
Organic wave—Produce in demand, farm to triple size
Two decades ago, organic agriculture was a fringe movement. It was generally ignored by land-grant researchers when John Reganold began comparing the soil quality, food nutrition, flavor and environmental impacts of conventional and organic methods. (WSU Today, 3/18/08) Read more.
February, 2008
Washington State University Releases Four New Wheat Varieties
Washington State University has released four new wheat varieties for commercialization, including Xerpha, a soft-white common winter wheat, which is highly adapted to a broad range of production zones in Washington, Oregon, southern Idaho and northern California. (CAHNRS News Release, 2/29/08) Read more.
January, 2008
AgWeatherNet Hits the Palouse
The Washington State University AgWeatherNet team recently installed a weather station at WSU’s Spillman Agronomy Farm located two miles southeast of Pullman. (CAHNRS News Release, 1/29/08) Read more.
Separating Truth from Myth: Understanding Biotechnology
New class is designed to help students develop an understanding of biotechnology in the 21st century. (CSS Spotlight, 1/3/08) Read more.
Citings...
The Northwest Ag News Network aired an interview with Bill Schillinger on about the issuance of the Columbia Plateau PM 10 report and progress toward reducing wind erosion. Read more.
WSU Center for Precision Agriculture director Fran Pierce has been named a 2008 Fellow of both the American Agronomy Association and the Soil Science Society of America.
Soil scientist Joan Davenport is quoted in an article in HealthDay News discussing possible sources of high concentrations of heavy metals found in some European wines. The story has been carried by at least 19 media outlets worldwide including the Times of London, the LA Times, Forbes Magazine and the Washington Post. Read more.
The Yakima Herald-Republic published the second part of its series on the possible link between dairy manure and the contamination of wells in the lower Yakima Valley, which included comments by IAREC’s Bob Stevens. Read more.
The Oregonian quotes soil scientist Craig Cogger in an article on the increasing use of biosolids to fertilize nonfood crops. Read more.
The Daily Olympian discusses the turfgrass science applied in the design of the Palouse Ridge Golf Course. Read more.
Friday’s Tri-City Herald included the story of Steve Jones and Carol Miles being asked to write the World Book Encyclopedia entry for “sustainability.” Read more.
John Reganold is quoted in a guest editorial posted Friday on the political web site, rightsidenews.com, that advocates that the U.S. trade food commodities that are in short supply in Arab countries for oil. Read more.
The environmental web site, greenmuze.com, cited the research of John Reganold on profitability of organic farming in an article on changes in food production. Read more.
USDA soil microbiologist and WSU adjunct faculty Hal Collins, WSU associate crop scientist Steve Fransen, and WSU soil science graduate student Jason Streubel were featured in a recent KNDO Tri-Cities television spot which reported on their work using human waste as a manure for switchgrass crops grown at Prosser for biofuel feedstock. Check it out here.
A story on the web site Villagesoup.com about the Organic Seed Alliance recounts some of the history of William Jasper Spillman founding WSU’s wheat breeding program and quotes Steve Jones. Read more.
An editorial in Monday’s Seattle Post-Intelligencer protesting King County’s withdrawal of a consumer card listing amounts of pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables cites John Reganold and a WSU Today article on his organic research as an alternative source for similar information. Read more.
An Associated Press story reported on how a device for measuring moisture in soil developed in conjunction with a WSU soil science team in 1987 has been incorporated into the NASA Phoenix Mars lander mission. Several media published the story Wednesday, including USA Today. (6/18/08) Read more.
John Reganold is quoted in Natural News on the threats posed by the loss of topsoil. (6/17/08) Read more.
The IAREC’s Joan Davenport is quoted in a Tri-City Herald article about efforts to have the Snipes Mountain area, home of the historic Upland Vineyards of Outlook, declared an American Viticultural Area. (5/28/08)
Geneticist teaches farmers about wheat. When it comes to growing wheat, veteran plant geneticist Stephen Jones believes Mother Nature knows best. (Mail Tribune, 5/15/08) Read more.
A story in Nature on how climate change is affecting hops production includes comments from WSU Prosser’s Steve Kenny and cites research being done by WSU. (5/2/08) .Read more.
The Soil Science Society of America announces officers elected to scientific society boards includes the announcement of Fran Pierce being named president-elect of the American Society of Agronomy. (5/1/08) Read more.
John Reganold’s 2001 research with organic apples is cited in an opinion piece in support of organic agriculture in The Daily Greater Kashmir published in Srinagar, Kashmir. (4/14/08) Read more.
The publication Food Production Weekly reported on the findings in a paper by Byung-Kee Baik and Steven Ullrich on the challenge of meeting quality requirements in barley for food production. Their paper has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Cereal Science. (3/19/08) Read more.
Craig Cogger is quoted in an article on home composting in the latest edition of Organic Gardening Magazine. (March, 2008) Read more.
John Reganold is quoted in an article on the environmental web site Grist.org about the reduction in agricultural research funding in President Bush’s proposed federal budget and how such cuts would impact organic research. (2/19/08) Read more.
John Reganold is quoted in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer front-page story on the loss of topsoil and the benefits of direct seeding in controlling erosion. (1/22/08) Read more.
IAREC agronomist Stephen Kenny is quoted in the Daily Tarheel, the newspaper of the University of North Carolina, in an article on how a worldwide hops shortage is driving up beer prices. (1/15/08) Read more.
Heading using the h3 tag
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